Chesapeake Bay

Areas Page Editors: please follow the Guidelines, whether you are editing an in-game area or World Territory.

On this page... (hide)

  1.   1.  Description
    1.   1.1  Tidewater Region
    2.   1.2  Northern Chesapeake Region
  2.   2.  Lifestyle
  3.   3.  Significance
  4.   4.  References
  5.   5.  Notes

Territory Statistics

StatusOPEN ?
CreatorSie
Date of Founding~1988
Primary SpeciesWolf, coyote
Luperci DominantYes
Population~45
Religion--

The expansive waters along the Chesapeake provide a number of important ports, towns, etc. Many towns are Freetown sized, similar in scope and appearance. The largest is Norfolk, Virginia -- the medium-sized port of about 75 Luperci which receives overseas traffic.

The rest of the small ports and towns are scattered along the waterways, further inland, etc. The primary function of this area is to receive some travel from Europe, along with trade and travel northward from Barbados and southward from Freetown.

1.  Description

Depends on where you go! This is a larger page describing a decently-sized area.

Much of the bay is shallow. At the point where the Susquehanna River flows into the bay, the average depth is 30 feet (9 m), although this soon diminishes to an average of 10 feet (3 m) from the city of Havre de Grace, Maryland for about 35 miles (56 km), to just north of Annapolis. On average, the depth of the bay is 21 feet (7 m), including tributaries; over 24% of the bay is less than 6 ft (2 m) deep.

As a result of the above, the upper reaches of the bay are typically sailed by smaller ships -- seafaring vessels stop off in Norfolk. The rest are small fishing type boats, many of which make their living passing from port to port or gleaning fish and clams from the bay. Another lucrative practice is the fetching of fossils and fossilized shark's teeth -- the Calvert Cliffs area is famous for fossils, especially fossilized shark teeth which are commonly found washed up on the beaches next to the cliffs.

1.1  Tidewater Region

Virginia Beach, waterfront

Norfolk, in its time, was a heavily military town, housing the country's largest concentration of naval forces. The piers were home to warships, from destroyers to nuclear powered aircraft carriers, which have since fallen into disrepair. Portsmouth, across the Elizabeth River, was home to the corresponding shipyard, where the ships were docked for repairs. To the south, at the mouth of the bay, is the resort city of Virginia Beach. Once known for the perpetual scream of F-14 Tomcats tearing overhead, the coastal area has long since fallen silent. The hotels are abandoned and falling into the sea, and forlorn silhouettes of the Cape Henry Lighthouses, years dark, still stand guard from Fort Story. Much of this area is dense urban and suburban sprawl, stretching from Suffolk and Newport News to the Atlantic Ocean. To the south this development ends abruptly in the Great Dismal Swamp—an expansive area of relatively untouched marshland.

Reedville, VA. Northern Neck.

Where the bay meets with the ocean it is spanned by the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel—a twenty-three mile (37 km) long stretch of interconnected bridge and tunnel. This connected mainland Virginia with the eastern shore, located on Delmarva Peninsula to the north. Much of Delmarva is flat and rural, with sandy soil and various barrier islands. Assateague Island, located off the eastern coast of Delmarva, is home to the feral Chincoteague Ponies that were historically round up and forced to swim across the channel to be auctioned.

The Hampton Roads Bridge–Tunnel crosses the harbor from Willoughby Spit in the southeast to the Virginia Peninsula in the northwest. The James River flows to the Chesapeake Bay along the southern coast of the Virginia Peninsula. This river has always provided an ample trade route, connecting the Richmond Metropolitan Area with the ports of Norfolk and Hampton Roads. On this river was where the original colony of Jamestown was located, and Williamsburg, slightly north, remains a quaint, historical place riddled with colonial-era buildings.

The Middle Peninsula and the Northern Neck—two of the three peninsulas that make up the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay within Virginia, are far more rural and removed from the urban sprawl of the Hampton Roads area. The Northern Neck is interspersed with former farmlands, wineries, and vineyards that have since grown wild. Tobacco grows wild and can still be cultivated. Thick, lush forests blanket the landscape, and maritime flora can be found along the coast.

1.2  Northern Chesapeake Region

Baltimore, Maryland

The Potomac River provides a physical divide between the states of Maryland and Virginia. The former capital of Washington, D.C. is located on this river, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay. The area surrounding D.C. and Baltimore was heavily populated, and the landscape is very urban and developed. Other notable cities include Arlington, Annapolis, and Alexandria, though the list is extensive.

Frederick, Maryland has historically been an important crossroads community since early human development, with north to south Indian trails, and east-west routes to the Chesapeake Bay from Baltimore and the surrounding area, and even paths across the Appalachian mountains to the Ohio River watershed. The Patuxent River crosses between the urban corridor of Baltimore and Washington, opening up into navigable tidal estuary near Queen Anne, and flowing into the Chesapeake Bay.

In the north the Chesapeake Bay Bridge crosses the bay waters, connecting Maryland's Eastern Shore region with the Western Shore, and allowing passage between the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area and Ocean City, Maryland. The twin-spans of the bridge extend 4.33 and 4.35 miles (6.97 and 7.00 km) over the bay, and it is among one of the longest over-water bridges in the world.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge

Kent Island is the largest island on the Chesapeake Bay, and is divided from Delmarva Peninsula by a thin channel called the Kent Narrows. Smith Island is a large island in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay that is only accessible by boat. There are no natural or man-made bridges connecting the island with anything else. The northern part was once part of a wildlife refugee. To the south, Tangier Island, another isolated location, is a well-known fishing spot, with crabs and oysters being the main catch. The island was loosely inhabited in the past, and some relics of human civilization remain. Arrowheads can be dug up from the soil all across the island.

Watts Island, a mile long sliver of land between Tangier and the Eastern Shore, remained relatively uninhabited by humans. Erosion sent the original inhabitants from the island as the land began to disappear into the bay. Anything on the island is quickly reclaimed by the water, and it remains home only to a stretch of trees and sand, and to a plethora wetland birds, such as heron, egrets, and ospreys.

2.  Lifestyle

Chincoteague Ponies, Delmarva Peninsula

The area closest to the bay is somewhat civilized. While most Luperci range in packs that very much resemble the average wolf pack, there are humanized pursuits practiced by many:

  • Fisherman, clam-diggers
  • Ferrying passengers and goods from one port to the next
  • Trading
  • Agricultural pursuits

The inland areas are progressively more feral; fifty miles inland, the wolf and wolfdog packs roam over big territories and burrow into earthen dens, unaware or indignant to the humanized practices closer to the coast.

3.  Significance

4.  References

5.  Notes

  • Everyone should feel free to edit the crap out of this area and add stuff? I'd prefer if it wasn't destroyed, but it's meant to be kind of -- an important hub in the 'Soulsverse for sea travel, so. :)
Category: Open Territories